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Jimmy Mundy Biography

jimmy-mundy
  • Born: June 28, 1907 in Cincinnati, OH
  • Years Active: 1930s-1950s
  • Genre: Jazz

One of the finer arrangers of the swing era, Jimmy Mundy never became a big name to the general public, but musicians of the era certainly knew who he was. He played tenor in various local bands and when he was hired by Earl Hines in 1932, he originally played in the orchestra. However, it was his charts (including his original "Cavernism," "Everything Depends on You," and "Copenhagen") that gave him a strong reputation. In 1936, he became a staff arranger for Benny Goodman, writing arrangements for such pieces as "Bugle Call Rag," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Swingtime in the Rockies," "Solo Flight," and "Sing, Sing, Sing." He also wrote charts for Count Basie, Gene Krupa, Paul Whiteman, Dizzy Gillespie (1949), and Harry James, among many others, and remained active into the 1970s. Jimmy Mundy led relatively few sessions: a small-group date in 1937, four songs by his short-lived orchestra in 1939, a few existing broadcasts of his 1946 Los Angeles band, and he led two obscure Epic albums during 1958-1959. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

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